A Midsummer Night's Dream (Abridged 90 Mins)
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Abridged 90 mins) ACT 1 SCENE 1- ATHENS. THE PALACE OF THESEUS (Enter Theseus and Hippolyta) THESEUS: Now fair Hippolyta, our wedding Draws near; four happy days bring in Another moon: but, O, methinks, how slow This old moon wanes! HIPPOLYTA: Four days will quickly steep themselves in night; Four nights will quickly dream away the time; And then the moon, like to a silver bow New-bent in heaven shall behold the night Of our solemnities. THESEUS: Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword. And won thy love, doing thee injuries; But I will wed thee in another key, With pomp, with triumph and with revelling. (Enter Egeus, Hermia, Lysander and Demetrius) EGEUS: Happy be Theseus, our renowned duke! THESEUS: Thanks, good Egeus: what’s the news with thee? EGEUS: Full of vexation come I, with complaint Against my child, my daughter Hermia. Stand forth, Demetrius. My noble lord, This man hath consent to marry her. Stand forth, Lysander: and my gracious duke, This man hath stole the heart of my child; Thou, thou, Lysander, thou hast given her poems, And interchanged love- token with my child: 1 Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung. With cunning hast thou filched my daughter’s heart, Turned her obedience, which is due to me, To stubborn harshness: and, my gracious duke, Be it so she; will not here before your grace Consent to marry with Demetrius, I beg the ancient privilege of Athens, As she is mine, I may dispose of her: She must obey me and marry this gentleman Or, according to our law, she must die! THESEUS What say you, Hermia? Be advised fair maid: To you your father should be as a god; He has all the power and you have none. Besides, I know not what your problem here is. Demetrius is a worthy gentleman. HERMIA: So is Lysander. THESEUS: In himself he is; But your father demands you marry the other. HERMIA I would my father looking but with my eyes. THESEUS: Rather your eyes must see things as your father sees them! HERMIA: But I beseech your grace that I may know The worse that may befall me in this case, If I refuse to wed Demetrius. THESEUS: Either to die or to be forever exiled Forever from the society of men as a nun, A lonely servant to altar of the goddess Diana. HERMIA: Then I must either die or become a nun? THESEUS: These are your only choices. HERMIA: Then I will die if these are my choices, But I will never consent to marry a man I love not. THESEUS: Take time to pause; and, four days from now- 2 The same day I marry my sweet Hippolyta, Upon that day either prepare to die For disobedience to your father’s will, Or else to wed Demetrius, as he would DEMETRIUS: Relent, sweet Hermia: and, Lysander, yield Thy crazed title to my certain right. LYSANDER: You have her father’s love, Demetrius; Let me have Hermia’s: why not marry him? EGEUS: Scornful Lysander! True, he hath my love, And what is mine by love shall render him. And she is mine, and all my right of her I do estate unto Demetrius. LYSANDER: I am, my lord, as well derived as he, As well possessed; my love is more than his; My fortunes every way as fairly ranked, If not with vantage, as Demetrius’; And, which is more than all these boasts can be, I am beloved of beauteous Hermia: Why should not I then prosecute my right? Demetrius, I’ll swear it to his head, Made love to Nedar’s daughter, Helena, He won Helena’s heart; and she, sweet lady, loves, Devoutly loves, and dotes in idolatry, Upon this spotted and fickle man. THESEUS: I must confess that I have heard so much, And with Demetrius thought to have spoke thereof; But, being over-full of my upcoming marriage, My mind did lose it. But, Demetrius, come; And come, Egeus; you shall go with me, I have some private schooling for you both. For you, fair Hermia, look you arm yourself 3 To fit your fancies to your father’s will; Or else that lay of Athens yields you up- Which by no means we may extenuate- To death, or to a vow of single life. Come, my Hippolyta: what cheer, my love? Demetrius and Egeus, come along: I have marriage plans to arrange And you must help me with the arrangements! EGEUS: With duty and desire we follow you. (Exit all but Lysander and Hermia) LYSANDER: How now, my love! Why is you cheek so pale? How chance the roses there do fade so fast? HERMIA: Belike for want of rain, which I could well Beteem them from the tempest of my eyes. LYSANDER: The course of true love never did run smoother! A good persuasion: therefore, hear me, Hermia. I have a widow aunt, a dowager Of great revenue, and she hath no child: From Athens is her house remote seven leagues; And she respects me as her only son. There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee; And to that place the sharp Athenian law Cannot pursue us. If thou lovest me them, Steal forth thy father’s house to-morrow night; And in the wood, a league without the town, There will I stay for thee. HERMIA: My good Lysander! I swear to thee, by Cupid’s strongest bow, By all the vows that ever men have broke, In number more than ever women spoke, In that same place thou hast appointed me, 4 Tomorrow truly will I meet with thee. LYSANDER: Keep promise, love. Look, here comes Helena. (Enter Helena) HERMIA: God speed fair Helena! Wither away? HELENA: Call you me far? That fair again unsay. Demetrius loves your beauty: O happy beauty! Your eyes are stars to him; and you voice he adores! If only I had your face, your voice, your charms, Them Demetrius would love me and not you! O, teach me how you look, and with what art You sway the motion of Demetrius’ heart. HERMIA: I frown upon him, yet he loves me still. HELENA : O that your frowns would teach my smiles such skill! HERMIA: I give him curses, yet he gives me love. HELENA: O that my prayers could such affection move! HERMIA: The more I hate, the more he follows me. HELENA: The more I love, the more he hateth me. HERMIA: His folly, Helena, is no fault of mine. HELENA: None, but your beauty: would that fault were mine! HERMIA: Take comfort: he no more shall see my face Lysander and myself will escape this place/ LYSANDER: Helena, to you our minds we will unfold: Tomorrow night, when darkness comes Through Athens’ gates have we devised to run away. HERMIA: And in the wood, there often you and I Upon faint primrose-beds were wont to lie, Emptying our bosoms of their counsel sweet, There my Lysander and myself shall meet; And thence from Athens turn away our eyes, To seek new friends and stranger companies. 5 Farewell, sweet playfellow: pray thou for us; And good luck grant thee thy Demetrius! Keep word, Lysander: we must starve our sight From lover’s food till morrow deep midnight. LYSANDER: I will, my Hermia. (Exit Hermia) Helena, adieu: As you love him, may Demetrius dote of you! (Exit Lysander) HELENA: How happy does Hermia seem to be! Through Athens I am thought as fair as she. But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so; He will not know what all but he do know; And as he errs, doting on Hermia’s eyes, So I err, admiring of his qualities. Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind: Nor hath Love’s mind of any judgement taste; Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste: And therefore is Love said to be a child, Because in choice he is oft so beguiled. Before Demetrius looked on Hermia’s eyes, He hailed down oaths that he was only mine; But when this hail some heath from Hermia felt, So he dissolved, and showers of oaths did melt. I will go tell them of fair Hermia’s flight: Then to the wood will he to-orrow night Pursue her; and I will also go, pursuing him! I will betray my friend Hermia, because I have no choice. My love for Demetrius is so strong it makes me weak! And in the woods my true love I will seek! 6 (Exit Helena) SCENE 2- ATHENS. QUINCE’S HOUSE. (Enter Quince, Snug, Bottom. Flute, Snout and Starveling) QUINCE: Is all our company here? BOTTOM: You were best to call them generally, man by man, according to the script. QUINCE: Here is the scroll of every man’s name, which is thought fit, through all Athens, to play in our interlude before the duke and the duchess, on his wedding-day at night. BOTTOM: First, good Peter Quince, say what the play treats on, then read the names of the actors, and so grow to a point. QUINCE: Marry, our play is, The most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe. BOTTOM: A very good piece of work, I assure you. Now, good Peter Quince, call forth your actors by the scroll. Masters, spread yourselves. QUINCE: Answer as I call you. Nick Bottom, the weaver. BOTTOM: Ready. Name what part I am for, and proceed. QUINCE: You, Nick Bottom, are set down for Pyramus.